Dominion War
"You have no idea what's begun here." :- Eris ( ) The Dominion War was a two-year (late 2373-late 2375) interstellar conflict between the Dominion and the Federation Alliance that consumed the entire Alpha Quadrant in one of the most destructive wars in galactic history. By the end of the war, the Alpha Quadrant had lost a notable power - the Cardassian Union - the Klingon Defense Force was set back for decades, and there remained a catastrophic death toll for all powers involved. Prelude The Federation-Dominion Cold War was the three year period of Dominion calculated successes at destabilizing the Alpha Quadrant. The Dominion was able to all but obliterate the Obsidian Order and severely weaken the Tal Shiar (see: Battle of the Omarion Nebula), nearly caused a war between the Federation and the Tzenkethi, only later to succeed in causing a conflict between the Federation and the Klingons (see: Second Federation-Klingon War), while concurrently causing a conflict between the Klingons and the Cardassians (see Klingon-Cardassian War). The Federation-Klingon conflict was resolved when it was discovered that Klingon General Martok was a Changeling. ( ) Several months later, however, the Dominion gained a physical foothold in the Alpha Quadrant through an alliance with Gul Dukat and the Cardassian Union, arranged in mid-2373. They immediately began sending fleets of warships and supply vessels through the Bajoran wormhole and into Cardassian territory on a weekly basis. The Klingons could not stand against such a foe, and withdrew from Cardassian space. The Khitomer accords were put back into effect; war was inevitable, and only the Federation-Klingon alliance stood against the forces of the Dominion. ( ) The fortification of the Cardassian Union, combined with the securing of non-aggression treaties with notable powers such as the Miradorn, Tholians, Bajorans, and most importantly, with the Romulans, made Dominion intentions clear. The Federation was forced to act, but could not present the aggressive stance of something so bold as a preemptive strike. Instead, the decision was made to mine the Bajoran wormhole to prevent further Dominion reinforcements from arriving. ( ) Total War Begins The maneuver was sure to provoke the Dominion into attack, and this end was achieved. Despite a seemingly successful negotiation between Weyoun and Captain Sisko, which would have limited Dominion vessels from the Gamma Quadrant to medical and economical supplies to help the Cardassian Union rebuild, the Dominion prepared to attack Deep Space 9. Strangely, the Federation turned down Captain Sisko's request for reinforcements, leaving the station to fend for itself against the Dominion fleet. Shortly afterwards, General Martok on board his Klingon Bird-of-Prey near the Cardassian border, contacted Deep Space 9, informing them that a large contingent of Cardassian and Dominion vessels were heading towards the station. His transmission was cut short when the Dominion fleet jammed his transmission. Gul Dukat then contacted the station, asking if the Federation was willing to surrender the station and avoid "unnecessary bloodshed". Captain Sisko outright declined the invitation, leading to Dukat ending the conversation with the comment: "I was hoping you'd say that". Shortly afterwards, the Dominion fleet arrived, and began their attack on Deep Space 9. Despite the Dominion's arrival prior to the minefield's activation, the USS Defiant was able to successfully complete the deployment of the mines and activate it, thus preventing reinforcements from the Gamma Quadrant. Although the Dominion had failed to prevent the activation of the minefield, they continued their assault on Deep Space 9, eventually forcing all Federation forces on board to evacuate. With the battle over, the Dominion had successfully captured the station, winning the Second Battle of Deep Space 9 (not to be confused with the First Battle of Deep Space 9 that opened the Second Federation-Klingon War in 2372). During the attack on Deep Space 9, the Federation-Klingon alliance dispatched a task force to attack the Dominion shipyards at Torros III, which required all available vessels, thus preventing reinforcements to Deep Space 9. Their mission was successful, and the destruction of the shipyards set back Dominion ship production for months. Although the Dominion successfully took over Deep Space 9, the station itself would prove to be of little use during the war, as the Starfleet officers who fled the station had disabled much of its equipment prior to their evacuation, and the Bajoran contingent fomented an active (though subtle) resistance. ( ) Dominion Success and Stalemate During the first few months of 2374, Dukat was leading an extremely successful campaign against the allies, forcing them to retreat on nearly every front. It was projected that even without reinforcements from the Gamma Quadrant, the Dominion would successfully triumph, although the war would take much longer. However, due to a shortage of Ketracel-white in the Alpha Quadrant, Weyoun was adamant on taking down the minefield and reopening the supply lines through the wormhole to guarentee success. In an attempt to stop the Dominion's advance into their territory, the Federation dispatched its Seventh Fleet to the Tyra System; a force composed of 112 vessels. Unfortunately, a mere 14 ships were able to make it back to their lines - a disastrous defeat for the Federation. ( ). By the second quarter of that year, it was revealed to the Federation that the Dominion was close to deactivating the minefield blocking the wormhole, and Captain Benjamin Sisko told Starfleet that the station's recapture must be seen as the top priority of the war. Although Admiral Coburn objected to the plan, fearing too many ships would be diverted away from Earth, allowing the Dominion to attack it. Sisko was able to convince him that the key to winning the war was by preventing Dominion reinforcements from the wormhole. With only days before the minefield could be deactivated, the Federation was forced to launch what ships they had been able to gather to attack Deep Space 9. Without any ships from the Klingon Empire to back them up, it seemed like a hopeless cause. Nevertheless, a Federation fleet of over 600 vessels departed from Starbase 375 towards the station. Realizing that the build-up of Federation forces were heading towards Deep Space 9, Dukat pulled 1,254 ships off the front lines to crush the enemy fleet and prevent them from retaking the station. With only hours left until the minefield was destroyed and reinforcements could come through, Weyoun assured Dukat that all the ships lost during this engagement would be easily replaced with those currently stranded in the Gamma Quadrant, and that holding onto the station was the top priority. ( ) Eventually, both the Dominion and Federation fleets clashed, and the battle to retake Deep Space 9 had begun. Captain Sisko attempted to draw out Cardassian forces and open a hole in the Dominion's lines, in order to punch through and reach the station in time. Dukat, realizing Sisko's plan, saw an opportunity of his own; he would allow the Federation to force its way through, only to be surrounded and closed in on by the overwhelming force at his disposal. With the Federation forces taking heavy casualties, the battle seemed almost lost. In the nick of time however, a massive Klingon fleet decloaked and engaged the Dominion forces, turning the tide of the battle into the allies favour and enabled the USS Defiant to break through the lines and get to Deep Space 9 without further delay. Although Dukat made good on his promise to destroy the minefield, it proved useless to the Dominion, as Captain Sisko was able to convince the Prophets to wipe the Dominion reinforcements entirely. With no reinforcements on their way, and the fleet battle in favour of the Federation-Klingon forces, the Dominion was forced to withdraw from the station. Operation Return was the first major alliance victory of the war, and also saw the end of Dukat's leadership of Cardassia. His underling, Damar, replaced him. ( ) The war entered a temporary lull at this point; the Dominion retreated to within Cardassian space, and activity along the border was rare. During this lull, the Dominion sued for peace with the Federation, even offering to withdraw their forces from a sizable amount of territory which would be ceded back. An analysis by a genetically engineered think-tank led by Doctor Julian Bashir determined that the Dominion was merely trying to acquire the Kabrel system, which would allow them to produce ketracel-white in the Alpha Quadrant, addressing the supply problem they were facing without wormhole access. However, Bashir's think tank projected that it was actually favorable to take the territory without a fight while they had the chance, despite giving the Dominion the ability to produce ketracel-white in the process, because it would be more difficult for them to retake all of the Dominion's large amount of controlled space without incredible casualties if they did not. Although the Dominion would use the opportunity to regroup its forces, they warned, the Federation and Klingons were in far more need of a respite than the Dominion, and would take away more from a short pause in fighting. Weighing the pros and cons, the augments suggested the Federation accept the peace proposal. Fighting resumed some weeks later. ( ) Despite their successful retaking of Deep Space 9, the Federation and Klingon forces were far from obtaining victory. In late 2374, the Dominion was able to capture Betazed. With the capture of this system, the Dominion was in a position to invade Vulcan, Andor, Tellar and Alpha Centauri. Furthermore, the Federation was suffering a manpower shortage and their shipyards were still being rebuilt. The Dominion's shipyards on the other hand were producing at 100% capacity, and legions of Jem'Hadar were being bred at an incredible rate. Without the help of the Romulans, it was only a matter of time that the Dominion would defeat both the Klingons and the Federation. ( ) The Turning of the Tides The Romulan Star Empire had to this point declared itself neutral in the conflict, though they were allowing Dominion ships passage through their space. Realizing the war was lost without the assistance of the Romulan Empire, Captain Sisko undertook an act of coercion with the help of Elim Garak, implicating the Dominion in an assassination plot against a high ranking Romulan senator. Their ploy was successful, and the Romulans joined the alliance. Within hours of joining the war against the Dominion, the Romulans attacked 15 bases along the Cardassian-Romulan border, opening up a new front and drawing forces away from the Federation and Klingons lines.( ) With the Romulans now part of the Federation Alliance, the allies had the necessary resources, ships and manpower to go on the offensive. Realizing that the only way to achieve a lasting victory against the Dominion was to go on the offensive and begin to destroy their shipyards and cloning facilities, Captain Sisko was able to convince both the Romulans and Klingons to join the Federation in the invasion of Cardassian territory. Having diverted the majority of its defenses to the Romulan front, the Chin'toka system was an ideal target. However, Damar had already begun to deploy Orbital weapon platforms, which would replace the need for starships to defend the system. Although the weapon platforms were nearly successful in defeating the allied fleet, their main weakness was discovered and exploited by Garak, which allowed the allied fleet to destroy the platforms' power grid, thus winning the First Battle of Chin'toka. This was the allies first push into Cardassian territory, and was a monumental morale booster. ( ) With Romulan reinforcement, the alliance had forced something of a stalemate. Early and middle 2375 was spent with neither side offering a firm push forward into the other. Captain Sisko had temporarily left his duties as a Starfleet officer after the death of Jadzia Dax and the destruction of the Bajoran wormhole by Dukat. With one of Starfleet's major tacticians and leaders out of the picture, the Dominion had time to regroup and hold off against further invasion attempts. The Cardassians were able to halt the Klingon's advance at Monac Four, inflicting at least thirty percent casualties against the Klingons, forcing the Allies to remain bottled up in the Chin'toka system. ( ) One very important event was changing the shape of the war was occuring behind the front lines: a debilitating disease was attacking the Founders. It would later be claimed that Section 31 had a hand in the infection. The Founders' abilities as leaders were being compromised just as their military was taking severe punishment from the emboldened alliance. ( ) Gradually however, Damar began openly criticizing the war effort and deriding the Founders' leadership. It seemed to him that Cardassian troops were withstanding the worst of the assault, and statistics proved him correct. Dominion leaders decided that a change was necessary, and in late 2375 they sought the help of the Breen, a mysterious but powerful race. In the ensuing months, the Breen took more and more of the Cardassian's responsibility, their leadership and even Cardassian territory. The tide had turned in favor of the Dominion, but Cardassians grew more restless by the day. ( ) With assistance from Breen energy-draining weapons, the Dominion won the Second Battle of Chin'toka with ease, destroying all but one of the three hundred and twelve allied vessels, thus regaining control of the system. The Breen even staged an attack on Earth (the Raid on San Francisco), dealing a heavy blow to Federation morale. Starfleet and Romulan vessels were annihilated by the new Breen technology, forcing the Klingons — whose ships could be modified to be immune to the weapon — to hold the front lines on their own until a countermeasure could be found. ( ) Unfortunately for the Allies, Chancellor Gowron took control of the Klingon forces, in an attempt to defeat the Dominion without assistance from the Federation or Romulan Empire. During his brief campaign, he ordered General Martok to engage the Dominion at Avenal Seven - a world deep inside Dominion territory. Outnumbered six-to-one, the raid on Avanal Seven was an utter failure, losing seven ships, with another five seriously damaged. Realizing that these useless raids could not continue, Sisko ordered Commander Worf to deal with Chancellor Gowron. After killing him in battle, Worf declared Martok the new Chancellor of the Klingon Empire. ( ) The Dominion's obvious favoring of the Breen finally frustrated Damar to the point that he formed an active resistance on Cardassia. He first attempted a military coup d'etat, but Gul Revok betrayed him and the rebellion was quickly shut down. Damar, with help from Commander Kira Nerys and Elim Garak, soon transitioned his rebellion to an underground civilian resistance. It was a success, and public anger against the Dominion was rising by the day. ( ) The alliance also successfully countered the Breen energy weapon thanks to the resistance on Cardassia, and with this, the tactical advantage returned to the Allies. The Dominion withdrew to Cardassian space with designs on rebuilding from behind fortified borders. The determination was made by the Allies that the best hopes of success for an invasion was now, before the Dominion was allowed to strengthen itself any further. A three-pronged attack on Cardassia Prime was to be led by Admiral William Ross, now-Chancellor Martok and presumably Velal. Though during the battle the Romulan flagship was destroyed (and presumably Velal along with it) and Captain Sisko led a contingent to reinforce their part of the line. ( ) The Cardassian resistance was alive and well, and knew of the impending invasion. They planned massive work stoppages and sabotage to prevent the Dominion from having ground support during the battle. The sabotage of power to the Dominion headquarters prompted a swift and brutal reprisal — the massacre of the population of Lakarian City through orbital bombardment. ( ) at the end of the war.]] The Battle of Cardassia was one of the largest space battles in galactic history, and was won by the alliance with unexpected help — Cardassian commanders received the news of Lakarian City's fate and turned on the Dominion. The Dominion responded typically — the head Founder ordered the Jem'Hadar to offer no quarter and fight to the last man, as well as commanding the annihilation of the entire planetary population of Cardassia Prime. Finally, members of the resistance were able to break into Dominion headquarters with Kira and Garak. Odo thought he could change the Founder's mind by meeting with her so he beamed to their location. He convinced the head Founder to give up the war by linking with her and thus curing her of the virus. He also offered to return to the Great Link and cure his people of the virus that had been crippling them. The war was officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Bajor, and all Dominion forces returned to the Gamma Quadrant with the exception of the head Founder who was to stand trial for war crimes. ( ) Foremost in the aftermath, however, was the state of Cardassia Prime. Eight hundred million civilians were dead, and the entire Cardassian Union was in danger of total collapse. The Alpha Quadrant had lost a major power, and the effects on galactic politics would continue to be seen for many years to come. Other battles *Attack on Avenal VII *Battle of Tyra *Battle of Betazed *Battle of Ricktor Prime *Battle of Torros III *Invasion of Septimus III *Raid on Trelka V *Raid on Monac Shipyards *Battle of Rondac III *Siege of AR-558 Associated Events * Raid on San Francisco (2375) * Cardassian Rebellion of 2375 See also *Starships in the Dominion War *Story arcs Background Information * Ira Steven Behr and Ronald D. Moore were the writers most involved with the creation and development of the Dominion War. Rick Berman wanted the war to be over within three or four episodes at the most. Behr and Moore knew the series would never be able to wrap up the war in that many episodes. Berman would also criticize the "depressing" and "violent" stories. Moore would later say "It's a f***in' war! What do you mean it's too violent?!" http://www.trekweb.com/stories.php?aid=3fd2828e8365a&tid=3fd297e330a24&cid=3fd39cec1a6ac * The war is frequently mentioned in Pocket Books novels and reference books and there is also a section on it in the Star Trek: Star Charts. Novels * Tales of the Dominion War * Star Trek: The Dominion War ** "Behind Enemy Lines" ** "Call to Arms" ** "Tunnel Through the Stars" ** "Sacrifice of Angels" * "What You Leave Behind" * "The Battle of Betazed" * "Hollow Men" External Links * * * Dominion War Timeline - Official Star Trek Site * The Dominion War Sourcebook - In ZIP Format Category:Conflicts de:Dominion-Krieg fr:Guerre du Dominion nl:Dominion Oorlog sv:Dominionkriget